Electronic device including flexible circuit board

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024106925-A1
Application number	US-202318458283-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2023
Priority date	Sep 23, 2022
Publication date	Mar 28, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device includes a hinge, a first housing and a second housing rotatably connected to each other by the hinge, a flexible display disposed in the first housing and the second housing, a first circuit board disposed in the first housing, a flexible circuit board which is electrically connected to the first circuit board and extends from the first housing and across the hinge, and a slide structure which is connected to the flexible circuit board and is slidably connected with the first housing, wherein the slide structure slides together with a portion of the flexible circuit board in the first housing while the electronic device is being folded or unfolded via the hinge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a hinge; a first housing and a second housing rotatably connected to each other by the hinge; a flexible display disposed in the first housing and the second housing; a first circuit board disposed in the first housing; a flexible circuit board which is electrically connected to the first circuit board and extends from the first housing and across the hinge; and a slide structure which is connected to the flexible circuit board and is slidably connected with the first housing, wherein the slide structure slides together with a portion of the flexible circuit board in the first housing while the electronic device is being folded or unfolded via the hinge.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a first battery and a second battery in the first housing,
wherein the hinge is extended along a first direction, and wherein the first battery, the first circuit board and the second battery are arranged in the first housing and in order along the first direction.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a third battery, a second circuit board and a fourth battery in the second housing, and the flexible circuit board further connected to the second circuit board and extending from the first housing, across the hinge, and into the second housing, wherein the third battery, the second circuit board and the fourth battery are arranged in the second housing and in order along the first direction.

4 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the first battery and the second battery have different sizes from each other.

5 . The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising an electronic component in the first housing, wherein:
each of the first battery and the second battery has a size, one battery having a smaller size among the first battery and the second battery, and along a direction orthogonal to the first direction and crossing the one battery having the smaller size, the electronic component is adjacent to the one battery having the smaller size.

6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the electronic component comprises at least one camera module.

7 . The electric device of claim 1 , further comprising a first battery in the first housing and overlapped with the first circuit board,
wherein: each of the first circuit board and the first battery has a thickness, the first battery comprises arranged along the hinge, a first battery portion, a second battery portion and a third battery portion which is overlapped with the first circuit board and connects the first battery portion to the second battery portion, and a sum of the thickness of the first circuit board and the third battery portion is equal to or smaller than the thickness of the first battery portion or the thickness of the second battery portion.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first battery portion and the second battery portion have different sizes from each other.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first housing and the second housing are rotatable with respect to a folding axis, the slide structure comprises a slide bracket slidably connected with the first housing, the slide bracket slidable along a direction crossing the folding axis, the flexible circuit board comprises a terminal portion at which the flexible circuit board is both fixed to the slide bracket and electrically connected to a connector of the first circuit board, and sliding of the slide bracket along the first housing slides the terminal portion of the flexible circuit board together with maintaining electric connection with the connector of the first circuit board.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the slide structure further comprises a spring which biases the slide bracket in a first direction along the direction crossing the folding axis, the first direction being toward the first circuit board.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein:
the folding of the electronic device includes movement of the terminal portion of the flexible circuit board in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the unfolding of the electronic device includes movement of the terminal portion of the flexible circuit board in the first direction.

12 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein:
the first housing comprises a pair of bosses, and the slide bracket comprises:
a circuit board fixing portion to which the terminal portion of the flexible circuit board is fixed; and
a pair of extending portions respectively extending from opposing ends of the circuit board fixing portion,
wherein the slide bracket is slidably connected to the bosses of the first housing, at the pair of extending portions.

13 . An electronic device comprising:
a hinge; a first housing and a second housing rotatably connected to each other by the hinge; a flexible display corresponding to the first housing and the second housing; a first circuit board which is in the first housing; a flexible circuit board which is connected to the first circuit board and extends from the first housing and across the hinge, the flexible circuit board comprising a terminal portion at which the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the first circuit board; and a fixing bracket which fixes the flexible circuit board at the terminal portion, to the first circuit board, and maintains electric connection between the terminal portion and the first circuit board.

14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein:
the first circuit board includes a pair of catching protrusions; the fixing bracket comprises:
a support portion facing the terminal portion; and
a pair of first extending portions respectively bent from opposing ends of the support portion toward the first circuit board, and
each first extending portion among the pair of first extending portions defines a catching groove of the each first extending portion with which a respective catching protrusion engages to couple the first circuit board to the fixing bracket and maintain the electric connection between the terminal portion of the flexible circuit board and the first circuit board.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , the fixing bracket further comprises a pair of second extending portions respectively bent from the opposing ends of the support portion, at a side of the support portion different from the side at which the first extending portions are bent, and toward the first circuit board,
wherein the second extending portions of the fixing bracket are fastened to the first circuit board by fastening members respectively penetrating the second extending portions and engaging with the first circuit board.

16 . An electronic device comprising:
a hinge; a first housing and a second housing rotatably connected to each other by the hinge; a housing among the first housing and the second housing which includes a support member and defines a through-hole of the housing which extends through the support member from a front side of the support member to a rear side of the support member; a flexible display corresponding to the first housing and the second housing, the flexible display extended along the front side of the support member; a first circuit board which extends along the rear side of the support member; and a flexible circuit board which is electrically connected to the first circuit board, at the rear side of the support member, and extends across the hinge.

1

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Seunghoon
• Moon Heecheul
• Son Kwonho
• Yoon Byounguk

Classifications

• H04M1/0277 Primary

  for a printed circuit board assembly · CPC title

• H04M1/0216 Primary

  Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge · CPC title

• H04M1/0262

  for a battery compartment · CPC title

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F1/1683

  for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling · CPC title